Project Snapshot: The Bakery, a 12-story apartment tower in Shockoe Bottom, nears completion

A prolific local development firm is wrapping up work on its largest project yet, and recently snagged an adjacent lot for the future. 

Historic Housing is nearing completion on The Bakery, a 211-unit apartment building at 127 N. 17th St. At 12 stories, The Bakery is the tallest new apartment building to rise in Shockoe Bottom in recent years. 

Named for the former Weiman’s Bakery building that once stood on the site, The Bakery has been in the works since 2021. Historic Housing’s Louis Salomonsky kicked the development off, but it’s being seen to completion by his son Daniel, who’s helmed the business since Louis’ passing in 2023. 

Daniel Salomonsky

Salomonsky said they’re anticipating opening the first few floors of the building to residents in early June, with hopes to have the entire building completed by the fall. 

“This is one of our largest investments to date, and we did it as a leap of faith,” Salomonsky said. “Right now, our pre-leasing is supporting that we didn’t make a mistake.”

Rents at The Bakery start at $1,350 per month. The building counts nine different unit floor plans, each named for different baked goods like Cannoli, Biscotti and Croissant. 

The building, designed and built by Historic Housing’s in-house architecture and general contracting divisions SWA Architects and SWA Construction, respectively, was constructed with pre-fabricated concrete panels, allowing it to quickly come into shape in Shockoe Bottom. 

Salomonsky said they tried to pay homage to the former Weiman’s building and business however they could. The building’s 17th Street-facing façade is made of brick, just as the old Weiman’s building was, and Salomonsky said they’ve remained in contact with the Weiman family, who have provided some old artifacts related to the business to be displayed in The Bakery. 

One such item is a Weiman’s sign that hung outside the old building. Salomonsky said upon restoring it, they found it was enveloping a second, even older neon sign. They restored that sign’s neon and hung it in the lobby. 

A pair of old Weiman’s signs were salvaged during the building’s construction.

“We were thrilled to find it,” Salomonsky said. “When you have a historical area, how do you combine the (development and history)? There is no perfect answer, but this is just an example of how you can have development, and try to preserve and pay homage to the history of an area or building.”

Amenities at The Bakery include a gym, pool and golf simulator, and Salomonsky said they’re also carving out part of the top floor of the building’s parking deck to be a garden and terrace. Local artists Ed Trask and Matt Lively are working on murals for the building as well.  

Part of The Bakery’s commercial space will be occupied by Historic Housing’s property management division Main Street Realty. Salomonsky said there’s a 5,000-square-foot space with garage doors facing Grace and 17th streets that could be used for a restaurant, retail or office.

Ahead of a planned summer opening, Historic Housing also recently purchased the adjacent property at 110-118 N. 18th St. for $2 million. The deal included the 5,000-square-foot restaurant space at 110 N. 18th St. that’s been home to a number of restaurants and nightclubs over the years, including Tiki Bob’s Cantina, Ponies & Pints, and most recently, Aces Sports Lounge. 

Salomonsky said they’ll look to get a commercial user in the empty Aces space, be it an office or restaurant, and the fate of the quarter-acre lot at 118 N. 18th St. is also to-be-determined. 

“We’re thrilled to have the lot to use as we see fit, and we’re going to sit on the building and explore what to do with it,” Salomonsky said. “We have a large presence down here and are always looking for an opportunity.”

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